Samwise IndyCar Newsletter
Thursday, July 16, 2026
IndyCar’s Nashville Race Could Set TV Records Thanks to a World Cup Kickstart
The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, July 19, begins at 5:30 PM ET on FOX immediately after the FIFA World Cup Final, a broadcast expected to draw more than 40 million viewers. IndyCar’s Road America race in 2026 drew 1.803 million viewers — a 131 percent increase over 2025 — benefiting from a World Cup soccer telecast immediately preceding the race. Nashville’s placement directly after the World Cup Final on FOX gives the 300-lap, 399-mile oval race a comparable lead-in audience, raising the possibility of new IndyCar television viewership records.
Sources: American Cars and Racing Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Kirkwood in Championship Hunt: “I Love Where We’re At” Heading into Nashville
Kyle Kirkwood enters the Nashville round second in the IndyCar Drivers’ Championship, trailing Alex Palou by 56 points with seven races remaining. Driving for Andretti Global, Kirkwood has collected seven top-five finishes in 11 races in 2026, including a win at Arlington. He said “I love where we’re at” when assessing the season’s stretch run, expressing confidence in the car’s performance across all track types. Kirkwood cited Nashville, Washington D.C., and Markham as tracks where he is optimistic about the team’s chances as the title battle enters its decisive second half.
Fast Facts: IndyCar Returns to Nashville Superspeedway for the 11th Time
Nashville Superspeedway hosts its 11th IndyCar event this weekend, the fourth oval race on the 2026 calendar. The 1.33-mile track in Lebanon, Tennessee covers 300 laps over 399 miles. Among drivers still in the 2026 field, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden are the only prior Nashville oval winners. Dixon leads the laps-led chart with 248, while Newgarden accounts for 13 of the last 30 oval race wins. Consecutive-start milestones are in play: Dixon will make his 368th series start, Rahal his 268th, and Newgarden his 231st. Practice begins Saturday, July 18, with the race Sunday at 5:30 PM ET on FOX.
Sources: SpeedSport Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Armstrong Carries Confidence to Nashville, Cites New Three-Year MSR Deal
Marcus Armstrong will contest the Nashville Superspeedway round aboard Meyer Shank Racing’s No. 66 entry after recently signing a three-year extension with the team. Armstrong is sixth in oval points through 2026 and finished seventh at Nashville in 2024. He will transition to the No. 60 car in 2027 after Felix Rosenqvist departs MSR. Ahead of Nashville, Armstrong noted the team is reducing downforce for the oval, saying, “This year we’re actually removing some downforce — I don’t agree with it but the racing is always good side-by-side.” He added the 399-mile race is “going to be a long one.”
Sources: SpeedSport Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Signs on to Back Schumacher’s No. 47 for Four Races
Vanda Pharmaceuticals has signed on as a sponsor of Mick Schumacher’s No. 47 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda for four races — Nashville, Portland, Washington D.C., and Monterey. The backing promotes Vanda’s Nereus motion sickness drug. In announcing the deal, Vanda noted that 47 years have passed since the United States last approved a new motion sickness treatment, a figure that aligns with Schumacher’s car number. The four-race partnership gives Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing additional commercial support as the season enters its final stretch, with Schumacher continuing his IndyCar campaign in the second half of 2026.
Points Leader Palou Participates in RRDC SAFEisFAST Ask A Pro Session
IndyCar points leader Alex Palou participated in the RRDC SAFEisFAST Ask A Pro program on July 15, answering questions from young racing drivers. The Road Racing Drivers Club’s SAFEisFAST initiative brings top-level competitors together with aspiring racers to discuss professional motorsport. Palou, who leads the 2026 IndyCar Drivers’ Championship with 404 points — 56 ahead of second-place Kyle Kirkwood heading into Nashville — engaged with the program’s educational mission ahead of the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix. SAFEisFAST Ask A Pro sessions are published as video segments connecting aspiring drivers with current IndyCar competitors.
Drivers' Championship
1. Alex Palou — 404 pts
2. Kyle Kirkwood — 348 pts
3. Christian Lundgaard — 339 pts
4. David Malukas — 338 pts
5. Pato O’Ward — 310 pts
6. Josef Newgarden — 270 pts
7. Felix Rosenqvist — 265 pts
8. Scott McLaughlin — 262 pts
9. Scott Dixon — 224 pts
10. Marcus Ericsson — 222 pts
11. Rinus VeeKay — 219 pts
12. Marcus Armstrong — 219 pts
13. Graham Rahal — 218 pts
14. Will Power — 209 pts
15. Kyffin Simpson — 194 pts
16. Alexander Rossi — 190 pts
17. Santino Ferrucci — 179 pts
18. Louis Foster — 159 pts
19. Dennis Hauger — 148 pts
20. Nolan Siegel — 145 pts
21. Christian Rasmussen — 143 pts
22. Romain Grosjean — 139 pts
23. Caio Collet — 132 pts
24. Sting Ray Robb — 108 pts
25. Mick Schumacher — 108 pts
26. Conor Daly — 24 pts
27. Takuma Sato — 20 pts
28. Jack Harvey — 8 pts
29. Jacob Abel — 6 pts
30. Helio Castroneves — 5 pts
31. Ed Carpenter — 5 pts
32. Ryan Hunter-Reay — 5 pts
33. Katherine Legge — 5 pts
Engine Manufacturer Championship
1. Honda — 892 pts
2. Chevrolet — 868 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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